Sota Kitano is a 20-year-old attacking midfielder who plays for Cerezo Osaka in the J-League. I previously reported on Kitano for Target Scouting when he played at the 2023 U-20 Asian Cup. After two years showing some promise in the J-League, Kitano has had a bit of an offensive explosion in 2025 with 4 goals and an assist in 711 minutes.
When I previously watched Kitano he was playing as a winger. But this season he has mostly played as a central attacking midfielder. He is on the small side, listed at 5’6/1.72M with a slight build. Kitano regularly receives the ball between the midfield and defensive line. Kitano can be an effective playmaker in these positions. He is very good at playing through balls behind the opposition defensive line, whether on the ground or over the top. He is also quite good at playing 1-2s with teammates and breaking the final line that way. However, Kitano’s dribbling and close control, particularly on the turn, are a bit limited. So if he receives the ball with a player on his back, he is very rarely able to progress. Similarly, he is not that great at running into space with the ball, despite being quite quick. Kitano is decent at making late runs into the box and getting shots from in and around the penalty area. However, these runs could be a little bit more dynamic to avoid markers, Kitano mostly just runs directly into the box. He might not be a very strong dribbler over distances but Kitano is good at using feints to get separation and shoot. Most of his shots are 10-20 yards out, he does not get a lot of super high xG chances. Improved off-the-ball movement could improve this.
Kitano frequently tracks back to make defensive interventions. He’s not the strongest player physically but he is quick so he can usually close players down and at least slow their progress. He isn’t an elite defensive player by any means but he isn’t a total passenger either.
I think Kitano’s early season scoring form is a little bit of a mirage. However, he does seem to have genuinely taken a step forward compared to last season and he is producing shots at a decent rate for a team that is currently battling against relegation. When I look at the skills he does have and the difficult context of playing in a weaker team, I could see Kitano playing for a top team outside of the top-5 leagues.
Target Scouting 